Rising over fifty ft into the sky above Northern Virginia suburbs is “The Pike,” a big sculpture composed of a reclaimed wind turbine wing and a metal base studded with cash from around the globe. A public artwork set up created by Donald Lipski, the piece is meant to function the western gateway of 3-mile Columbia Pike, one of many oldest thoroughfares within the area and also known as Arlington, VA's “Primary Road.” Lipski particularly selected a wind turbine wing as a consequence of its distinctive form and its reference to the creation of North America's first windmill in Virginia within the 1600s.
So far as public artwork goes, “The Pike” will not be some generic statue or word-art set up; the funky mishmash of objects can't be ignored. Its hovering upright place is definitely a playful nod to “pikes” used to dam drivers from continuing earlier than paying on toll roads, referencing Columbia Pike's personal historical past as a toll street in its early days. The construction emulates the vertical standing place of a pike because it welcomes vacationers to proceed into the area.
To additional emphasize the sculpture's welcoming facets, the piece's pedestal is roofed by embedded cash from 117 international locations. Reflective of Arlington's standing as “the world in a zipper code,” highlighting its multicultural heritage, the 4,784 cash had been donated by residents of the world.
Vacationers who discover themselves motoring or strolling down Columbia Pike would possibly assume they've discovered a scene from a pure catastrophe film, a turbine blade thrust into the bottom by a twister or storm. As a substitute, upon nearer inspection, they are going to discover a piece of “discovered object” artwork which thoughtfully honors its locale's historical past as a crossroads of vehicles and cultures.
